Punch biopsies are commonly taken by doctors during a variety of medical test procedures. This is especially true for dermatologists who commonly take punch biopsies for diagnostic purposes in numerous skin condition evaluations. The usual procedure after taking a punch biopsy involves pressing the patient's wound with a gauze for five to ten minutes, suturing of the wound, and applying a gelatin sponge cube under an adhesive tape. This process is not very satisfactory. For example, continual pressing treatment of the wound for even a five to ten minute period involves expensive time of a dermatologist or nurse, to say nothing of the patient's time. Moreover, suturing of the wound involves usage of sterile instruments and sterile disposables which are quite expensive. Suturing also may result in a scar. Finally, the application of a gelatin sponge cube under an adhesive tape is often not effective in stopping the bleeding, i.e., when the sponge is blood soaked it starts to leak.
It can therefore be seen that even with the present state of the art there is a substantial need for an efficient way of achieving hemostasis with biopsy wounds. Moreover, there is a continuing need for a way of treating biopsy wounds which not only controls bleeding but also improves wound healing with limitation of scar formation.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide both an effective method and an effective treatment composition for biopsy wounds.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method of treatment and a composition which not only provides hemostasis, but also improves wound healing with limitation of scar formation.
An even further objective of the present invention is to provide a method of treatment of biopsy wounds which avoids the need for suturing of the wound.
The method and manner of accomplishing each of the above objectives as well as others will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows hereinafter.